Israel Through (Genuinely) Liberal Eyes. A 4-Part Series

What are the philosophical motivations behind international delegitimization campaigns against the state of Israel? And does philosophy provide alternative paradigms to help defend the legitimacy of the Jewish State?  How does resurgent antisemitism corrupt discussion in political and activist circles? Ben Cohen’s four-part series examines these questions. His starting point is a sympathetic critique of Israeli scholar Yoram Hazony’s essay, Israel Through European Eyes.

• Part 1. Israel Through (Genuinely) Liberal Eyes
• Part 2. Israel Through (Genuinely) Liberal Eyes
• Part 3. Israel Through (Genuinely) Liberal Eyes
• Part 4. Israel Through (Genuinely) Liberal Eyes

Hazony's explanation of the intellectual origins of Israel's current, woeful predicament robustly counters the typical platitudes one encounters in discussions of how Israel should respond.

"Change your policy," insists the left. "Engage in better PR," advises the right.

There is some superficial truth in both of these observations, but neither deals with either the cause of delegitimization nor its terrifying persistence.